Sons: A Sky Tale
by D.Nic
Summary: Sky must fight his own feelings of loss when he's thrust into the middle of an investigation that forces him to bond with a young boy on the verge of losing his father, thanks to Gruumm's latest plot.


**POWER RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA**

SPD Memories Series

"Sons"  
A Sky Tale

This fanfic is a Sky focus story. This story takes place after the events of SWAT, Part 2. Feedback is totally appreciated, good or bad.

Deep in the heart of Newtech City, in an idyllic neighborhood, lies a house. It's dark this evening, and most are asleep. However, a single light shines from the main window of this house. It's dim, reflective of the inactivity going on inside. A father sits with his young son on the couch, right in front of that window. He is reading to the boy:

"You just think lovely wonderful thoughts," Peter explained, "and they lift you up in the air."

The young boy laughed, as his father read, changing his voice with each character in the story. The two of them had tried for years to form their own wonderful thoughts. This time together had become a pivotal part of their lives. In one moment, it all changed.

Seconds later, the door to the house sparked for a second and then went flying across the room, blown off at the hinges. The father instinctively shielded his son from the blast. With his back to the now-smoking doorway, he didn't see the creature enter, but it did. It stood next to the couch, towering over the cowering father & son below.

The creature let out a loud chuckle. "You're coming with me!" He yelled, as he reached out, placing his grotesquely black hand on the shoulder of the older man. With a swatting motion, the man struck the arm before it could get a real grip on him. The monster was taken aback for a moment, but just a moment. He grabbed hold of the man's arms, twisting them in ways they were never meant to.

"Aaah," the man screamed, locked in the monster's grips. "Run, Milo!" the man shouted. The boy scurried past the creature and headed for the stairs. He got halfway up when he stopped, unable to completely leave his father.

"Dad!" Milo yelled. The monster tossed the man aside and turned in the child's direction.

"Hehe, this should be fun," the creature said, with a grizzly tone that sent an immediate shiver down the child's spine. He was in danger.

"No!" his father yelled, as he tried to attack the creature from behind, but to no avail. He was soon caught in his grip once again. The creature turned back to Milo on the stairs and lifted his arm. Milo was now staring down the barrel of a blaster mounted on the creature's right arm.

"Please, don't," the father screamed out. "Why are you doing this?" There was no response from the monster. "Milo, run. Please run!"

The boy couldn't move. He was scared stiff. At that moment, there was an unfamiliar sound coming from the creature. He retracted his right arm, bringing it to the small hole on his face, below his blaring eyes. Another voice intruded on the scene, coming from the creature's wrist.

"You're wasting time, Cantorum," the voice shouted, "Time I don't have!"

The creature took a moment to stare back at the child, before hoisting the older man over his shoulder and heading for the doorway. As if in anger, the creature extended his blasting arm, firing on the lamp, leaving the child behind in complete darkness.

"Sky! Sky, are you seeing this?" Sky was knocked out of his daydream by the voice of Syd Drew.

In the SPD Rec Room, Sky turned to see his fellow B-Squad cadets sitting around, as Bridge Carson stood in the middle of them, opening up a large box.

"What?" Sky asked.

"This is it," Bridge said. "My father's birthday gift. Remember, I ordered it last week. It just got here. I wanted to show you guys before I send it to him."

Sky winced. He shuddered to think of what Bridge would actually give someone as a gift. Bridge reached his hands into the box and pulled out a small figurine. But it wasn't a normal figure. It looked exactly like Bridge, except it had an enlarged head that jiggled when Bridge shook it. Jack, Syd & Z all let out roars of laughter. Sky was silent.

"What is that supposed to be?" Sky asked.

"It's a bobble-head, Sky. They were really popular years ago," Bridge responded.

"And you're gonna give this to your father, as a gift?" Sky said. He was dead serious.

"Yeah," Bridge said, with a smile. "It's designed to look like me," He said, as he held the doll up to his face. "See!"

"I think it's kinda cute," Z said, as Jack & Syd laughed.

"I think it's kinda Bridge!" Jack said.

"My dad will like it," Bridge said.

"You're so childish. Bridge, when are you gonna grow up? You're practically an adult, an officer representing SPD, and this is the way you show respect for your father on his birthday?" Sky said, as he stood up and left the rec room.

Sky's departure left the room silent, until Commander Doggie Cruger's voice broke through.

"Rangers, we've got trouble. Report to the Infirmary, immediately," Cruger's voice boomed throughout SPD Headquarters. The four Rangers all exchanged confused looks.

"Did Cruger just tell us to report to the Infirmary?" Jack asked, as they all stood up.

Bridge gasped. "You don't think this is a trap to get us to take shots, do you? Because I'm pretty sure I'm all up to date," Bridge said, looking troubled. The others cracked smiles.

"I hope not. Because we can't afford to have Sky in a worse mood than he already is," Syd said, as she headed for the door, followed by Jack, Z and Bridge.

Moments later, the group arrived at the Infirmary doorway, just as Sky approached from the opposite direction. Without a look to any of them, he stepped closer to the door, prompting it to slide open. Inside, Doggie Cruger and Dr. Kat Manx were standing with their backs to the B-Squad. They looked to be standing over a bed.

"Commander?" Jack spoke up first.

Cruger and Kat turned to the Rangers, who were still unable to see what lay behind them.

"Rangers, we have a major problem," Cruger stated.

"What is it, Commander?" Sky asked.

"Last night, Doctor Peter Damarcus was abducted from his home," Cruger explained.

"Who's Peter Damarcus?" Z asked.

Kat answered quickly, "He's one of Newtech City's foremost scientists, specializing in the chemical element, iridium."

"Iridium? Didn't Gruumm steal a large supply of iridium from a Newtech plant a while back?" Z remembered.

"Yes. We think there's a connection," Cruger said, "The Damarcus house was completely ransacked. It's clear something very powerful got inside and took Dr. Damarcus."

"If Gruumm is behind this, he may be trying to find a way to synthesize iridium," Kat explained, "Peter Damarcus is one man who can tell them just how to do that. We use iridium in everything. If it wasn't for his studies, SPD may have never come up with the technology to construct your zords."

"He's that smart?" Syd said. Kat nodded affirmatively.

"We have to get him back," Jack spoke up.

"Yes," Cruger said, "for more reasons than one."

The Rangers looked confused. Then, Cruger and Kat stepped aside to reveal a sleeping child in the bed behind them. The B-Squad Rangers all walked over. Sky, however, stood a few feet away from them, keeping his distance.

"This is Milo Damarcus," Cruger said, in a whisper, "Peter's son and our only witness to the abduction."

"He must be traumatized," Z said.

"I can't imagine what he must have went through," Bridge said, seriously.

"Rangers, I can't stress enough how important it is that Dr. Damarcus' knowledge on iridium stays out of Gruumm's hands. Get over to the crime scene. Find out whatever you can about the perpetrator. The sooner we find out who took the doctor, the sooner we can mount a rescue," Cruger stated, sternly. The other Rangers left with a nod. Sky couldn't help looking back at the boy. Cruger noticed.

Underground, Dr. Peter Damarcus is strapped to a chair in the middle of a large abandoned cellar. The black blindfold covering his eyes is removed. He squints his eyes, trying to make out his surroundings. As his blurry vision begins to clear, he sees the monstrous form of his captor standing before him, holding the blindfold.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked the creature.

"You are full of questions, Peter," the monster spoke, in his grizzly tone that had become all too familiar to the doctor. "You should be more concerned with answers. More importantly, you should be concerned with providing me the correct answers to my questions."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, looking suspiciously at the tall dangerous, being.

"I'm talking about iridium, doctor. You're really no good at much else, are you?" the creature, said as he let out a loud chuckle. "My boss wants to know everything you know. I suggest you tell me, before things get very difficult."

"I'm not telling you anything," Damarcus said, sternly.

"I think you will, Doctor! You will tell me everything I want to know."

"It's pretty obvious you're not looking to do any good. I won't help you," Damarcus said.

"What about your son, Doctor? Would you help him?" the creature said, giving the doctor a gory smile.

"What have you done with my son?"

"I think we have a lot to talk about, Dr. Damarcus," the creature said. At that moment a voice cut the silence.

"Cantorum!"

The creature turned in response to the woman's voice. Out of the shadows stepped Morgana. She entered from behind Peter's chair. He couldn't see her.

"Hello? Whoever you are, please help me!" Peter screamed out to her.

"I'm not here to help you, Doctor. I'm simply a messenger and my message is for Cantorum," Morgan said to the monster. "Emperor Gruumm wants the information as soon as possible."

"He will need patience," Cantorum spoke up.

"That's not something I'd count on if I were you," Morgana said, as she sauntered a bit closer to him. "Lucky for you, Gruumm never puts all his eggs in one basket."

"What do you mean?" Cantorum asked.

"Let's just say that reinforcements are on the way, just in case your methods can't get the job done," Morgana said. After letting out a villainous laugh of her own, she teleports away.

"What did she mean about reinforcements?" Peter asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good...for you," Cantorum said, letting out a howl of laughter that sent a shivers of fear through Peter's body.

The five B-Squad cadets stepped onto the porch of the Damarcus home, where they notice the door on the other side of the living room. Sky & Jack examined the doorway briefly before walking inside.

"Looks like blast damage," Jack said. Sky nodded along. Behind them, Z, Syd & Bridge entered.

"This must have been so terrible for Milo," Z surmised. She wandered over to the couch, where the dropped storybook lay on the carpeted floor. She picked it up, as Bridge approached, looking over her shoulder.

"Peter Pan," Bridge said aloud, reading the cover in Z's hand. "That was always my favorite," he said.

Sky walked past the two. "Why am I not surprised?" he said to Bridge, smugly. Sky walked a bit further into the interior of the house, where he saw something else on the floor. It was a picture frame. He picked it up and turned it over to see Milo and the man he presumed was his father. They were smiling together.

i"Okay, hold still, you two," his mother said, as she positioned the camera. Young Sky could barely hold still, as his father had his arm around him and began to tickle the child.

"Hurry, Mommy," the boy called out. One bright flash later, and it was done. The boy ran over to his mother, and looked at the camera, as she pulled up a graphic of the picture inside. Young Sky smiled.

"See, honey. Now you have a photo of you and your dad in his uniform," she said. Sky looked back past the camera, seeing his father put on his helmet.

"Time to go to work," the older man said. The words echoed in Sky's head. /i

Back in the present, Sky let out a deep breath and put the photo back in it's place on a nearby table. A few meters away, Jack had found something else.

"Guys, take a look at this," he said. Sky, Z and Bridge walked over to the spot, where Jack & Syd were kneeling on the floor. The five Rangers all took in the sight of a huge footprint, embedded in the carpet.

"They must not have stepped on this part of the floor very often," Syd said. "It's the only spot where the monster left a print."

"It's our first clue," Jack said.

Back at SPD Headquarters, the Rangers were gathered together in the Command Center, along with Commander Cruger and Kat. Cruger was looking at a photographic copy of the footprint.

"It's a start," Cruger said, as he handed the photo to Kat. "You recognize it?"

"Not off hand," Kat said. "I could run a search in the SPD database, but a footprint isn't much to go on."

"Then, we'll have to do things the old fashioned way," Cruger said, taking back the photo and handing it to Jack.

"You'll have to do some leg work. Ask questions. Someone has to know who that print belongs to," Cruger told Jack. The Red Ranger nods in agreement.

Then, a beeping alert sounds in the room, grabbing everyone's attention. Kat presses a few buttons on a control console.

"Commander, it's an incoming message from Omega Ranger," Kat stated. Cruger nodded.

"We picked up word that Broodwing was heading off-world. I sent Sam to follow him. Patch him through, Kat," Cruger said.

The Rangers gathered around the main console, as a holographic image of the Omega Ranger appeared before them.

"Commander Cruger, this is Omega Ranger reporting in," Sam spoke. "We've got trouble."

"Go ahead Sam," Cruger said.

"I trailed Broodwing to Onyx as ordered. Thanks to my light form, I was able to spy him making a rather unique purchase at an auction here," Sam explained.

"What was it?" Cruger asked.

"Broodwing beat out every other bidder when it came to a special device called a neural retractor," Sam said.

Cruger looked to Kat, who seemed a bit confused by the term.

"I've never heard of that," Kat said, "Sam, are you sure it was called a neural retractor?"

"I think so," Sam said.

Kat thought for a moment. "That sounds like some kind of device that could undo someone's thoughts."

"Mind control?" Cruger surmised. Kat nodded.

"You think Gruumm might be looking to gain some kind of control over Dr. Damarcus?" Syd asked.

"If I know Gruumm, it certainly wouldn't be unlike him," Cruger stated.

"Something just doesn't seem right," Kat said, still looking troubled.

"Omega," Cruger called out. "Track Broodwing back to Earth. Let us know when he arrives."

"No can do, Commander," Omega explained, "Broodwing left an hour ago. He attacked my shuttle when I tried to follow him. I just got the communications systems back up. It's gonna take me a while before this thing is space-worthy."

Cruger sighed. "Understood."

Kat ended the transmission, as Cruger gave a look to the other Rangers.

"What now, Commander?" Z asked.

"We have to keep focused on the task at hand and that's rescuing Peter Damarcus before Gruumm can take control of him," Cruger stated. "Jack, Syd & Z, I want you to take that footprint and find out who it belongs to."

The three Rangers all nodded together. Cruger then turned to face Sky & Bridge.

"Sky, Bridge, you will stay behind..." Cruger started.

"To keep an eye out for Broodwing," Sky finished.

"No," Cruger said. Sky looked confused. "I want you two to question our smallest witness."

"Sir?" Sky looked confused.

"Milo Damarcus may know exactly who took his father. We need to know what he knows," Cruger said. Sky looked upset.

"But sir, I think my skills could be best used elsewhere," Sky said.

"I don't think so and as long as I'm the Commander, my decisions stand," Cruger said sternly. Sky kept quiet. "Dismissed," Cruger stated.

After the Rangers departure, Kat looked to Cruger.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" she asked.

"Actually, yes," Cruger said. "If anyone can get through to Milo, it's them."

"What about Broodwing? He's on his way with that device," Kat said.

"Leave Broodwing to me," Cruger said, with confidence.

On the way to the Infirmary, Sky is quiet. Bridge walks beside him, stealing a glance every couple of seconds, clearly dying to say something.

"What!" Sky shouted.

"Nothing," Bridge said, as his look clearly proved he was lying.

"Stop staring at me," Sky said, as they came to a stop outside the Infirmary.

"Sorry," Bridge said. "I just don't understand why you're so resistant to talking to Milo. I mean you are one of SPD's best interrogators, next to me, anyway."

"I interrogate criminals. Milo's a kid," Sky said, "and the only reason you're considered a good interrogator is because you drive everyone around you insane until they tell you the truth so you'll leave them alone."

"It works," Bridge said.

Sky let out a deep sigh and entered the Infirmary, with Bridge following close behind him. Dr. Felix stands nearby. Milo is still laying on the far bed on his side, with his back to them.

"Is he awake?" Sky asked the doctor.

"Yes. He has been for a while. The child doesn't seem to be in much of a mood to talk, though," Dr. Felix explained. "Hopefully, you'll have better luck."

Dr. Felix leaves, as Sky looks over to the kid, feeling a sense of guilt and anger welling up inside of him. Bridge walks right over and sits on the bed, tapping Milo on the shoulder.

"Hi, Milo," Bridge says, in a lowered tone. The kid doesn't answer. "I'm Bridge. This is Sky. We're with SPD. You know, that's where you are. This is SPD Headquarters. You're safe here."

The child slowly turned over, facing Bridge. He looked up at Sky.

"You don't have to worry," Bridge said. "We're friends."

"Where's my dad?" Milo asked. Bridge gave a concerned look to Sky.

"Well, we were hoping you could help us find out," Bridge said. Milo looked disappointed. He glanced back at Sky.

"What's with him?" Milo asked Bridge.

"Oh, Sky always looks like that," Bridge said, with a smile. "Right, Sky?"

"Quiet, Carson," Sky said, as he walked closer to the bed. "Look, Milo. We really need to find your dad. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I can't," Milo said, hesitating. "I can't remember."

"Are you sure?" Sky asked. "Because, it's really important that we find him. He could be in real danger."

"You think he's going to die?" Milo said, as his breathing began to speed up, showing his panicked state.

"No, no Milo," Bridge said, placing a hand up to stop Sky from speaking. "You're dad's gonna be fine, but we want you guys to be together. We could use your help to bring him back."

Milo lay back on the bed, becoming silent once again. He stared off at the ceiling, looking extremely scared. Bridge sighed.

"Hey, Milo. Have you ever played lightball?" Bridge asked. Milo tilted his head towards him, nodding negatively. "Maybe you'd like to play?"

Milo began to smile, when Sky let out a deep sigh.

"Bridge, we don't have time for games!" Sky said, loudly. Milo retreated back to the bed, as Bridge stood up to face Sky.

"Hey, Sky, calm down," Bridge said. Grabbing Bridge's arm, Sky pulls him back over by the door, so Milo can't hear them.

"Look, Dr. Damarcus doesn't have forever, Bridge. We don't have time to play your little games. We need to get information."

"That's what I'm trying to do. If we can get Milo to relax, he'll open up," Bridge said. Sky was fuming.

"Fine! You play your little games, while his father is left for dead!" Sky said, before storming out of the Infirmary. Bridge looked back at Milo, who had now turned his back on them, once again. Bridge sighed.

At Piggy's, business is booming. Just then, a scrawny monster comes running up to the place.

"SPD! SPD!" he yells. Many of the creatures scatter, running off, as Piggy emerges from inside his food cart. He sighs.

"Not again!" Piggy exclaims.

"Pleasant day we're having, don't you think, Piggy?" Jack said, as he walked into the serving area, flanked by Syd & Z.

"And to think, guys usually come running when pretty girls show up," Syd said, smiling.

"Piggy, we need to talk," Z said.

"Of course. That's all you SPD party poopers do. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. And what do I always get in return? An empty food stand," Piggy responded.

"Piggy, if you served more reputable customers that would solve all your problems. You wouldn't have SPD breathing down your neck and you wouldn't have customers fleeing because they've got something to hide," Jack explained.

"Yeah. Yeah," Piggy said, waving them off.

"Piggy, we're looking for someone," Z said, as she handed Piggy the photograph of the footprint.

"You're looking for a foot? Or is it a shoe?" Piggy said, with a laugh.

"That's what we're here to find out," Syd said. "Can you tell us whose foot leaves a print like that?"

"Definitely not natives of Earth, I can tell you that," Piggy said.

"Do you know who it belongs to, or not?" Jack asked.

"Not," Piggy said.

"Look, Piggy. If you're lying to us, we're just gonna come back here and ruin business for you again and again and again and again," Jack said, as he backed Piggy into his cart.

"Take a look around, Red," Piggy said. "You've already done that. Nobody's here. I have nothing to lose by lying."

Jack turned, giving Syd & Z a disappointed look. They had reached a dead end.

i"When are you coming home, daddy?" Young Sky asked his father.

"Soon, Sky. I have some very important work to take care of."

"Is it a really bad guy?" the kid asked.

"Really really bad. But don't worry. I know how to handle the bad guys," his father said./i

"Sky!" Commander Cruger called out, as he entered Sky's room. "I called down to the Infirmary for a progress report on your questioning. Carson told me what happened. What were you thinking, losing your composure like that in front of a child?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Sky said.

Cruger walked further inside, seeing that Sky was holding his father's picture in his hand.

"Sky?"

"I've been having these flashes of memory of my dad. Ever since I walked into the Infirmary and saw Milo on that bed. I can't shake them," Sky explained.

"Sky, I know this must be difficult for you," Cruger spoke.

"Then why? Why did you assign me to be the one to deal with Milo? I can't do it," Sky said, "I can barely stand being in the same room with him after what happened with my father."

"Sky, that's exactly the reason that I wanted you to question Milo. You know what he's going through more than anyone else."

"But, sir, it's making me remember things that...things that I don't want to remember right now," Sky said. Cruger could see he was shaken by his thoughts.

"Sky, you're one of the brightest cadets in SPD and one of the strongest, not just physically, but emotionally. I knew your father very well and he was a fighter," Cruger said.

"But, in the end, he lost the fight," Sky said, struggling to hold back a tear.

"That doesn't mean you have to," Cruger said. "Sky, you can do this. I have faith in you, because you're more like your father than you think. I trusted him implicitly, because he never gave up. I trust that you won't either."

"It's hard," Sky said.

"I know that. Trust me. If we don't find Dr. Damarcus soon, it will be even worse and not just for SPD and Newtech City, but for that little boy in the Infirmary. All he wants is his father back," Cruger said.

"I know the feeling," Sky said, as his feelings of sadness turned to anger. "Milo doesn't deserve this. He deserves to live a normal happy childhood, not to be scared that his father will never come home, thanks to some two bit criminal."

At that moment, the voice of Dr. Kat Manx broke through.

"Commander Cruger, I need to see you in my lab, right away. It's about the Damarcus case," Kat said.

Cruger & Sky shared a glance, before heading out of Sky's room and walking at a fast pace, until they reached Kat's laboratory.

"What's going on?" Cruger asked her.

"I've been thinking, ever since Omega's transmission from Onyx. Broodwing buying a neural retractor doesn't make sense. From what we know of Gruumm, he does have some experience with mind control. He wouldn't need a device like that, especially if he were looking to control a human," Kat explained.

"So what are you getting at?" Sky spoke up.

"I think Omega may have made a mistake. I think Broodwing may have been buying a neural extractor, not a retractor," Kat said.

"What's the difference?" Cruger asked.

"Well, a neural extractor makes more sense and it's actually a device I've heard of," Kat said, as she keyed in some commands on her computer console, bringing up a visual of the device on her monitor. "A neural extractor is designed to collect and remove certain memory patterns from any individual whose wearing it. And, the reason I know about it, is because a friend of mine on the Science Council informed me a few hours ago that one was stolen last week."

Cruger released a low grunt, grimacing. "Perfect timing for it to have turned up on Onyx."

"Exactly," Kat said. "Sir, if Gruumm uses this device on Dr. Damarcus, he will have access to all of his memories on iridium, including all of its strengths..." her voice lowered, "...and it's weaknesses. Sir, with Peter's knowledge in Gruumm's hands, our entire defense arsenal would be useless. Gruumm would know the exact weaknesses of everything: the zords, the battlizer, SWAT mode...everything."

"I'd say the stakes just got higher," Cruger said, with a deadly serious tone.

"I agree. The one bright spot in all this is that I may have found a way to locate the device," Kat said.

"Well, let's hear it," Cruger responded.

Kat walks over to a table in the lab and picks up a small, hand-held device, which is equipped with an LCD monitor. She brings it back over to Cruger, handing it to him.

"I modified this neural scanner. It should be able to pick up the brainwaves that would be emitted from a neural extractor. The only problem is, the extractor has to be in use in order for the brainwave patterns to be located using the scanner," Kat explained.

"So, you're saying that Broodwing's neural extractor has to be on Dr. Damarcus, in order for us to locate him?" Sky said, somberly. Kat nodded, confirming it.

"Is this the best you can do?" Cruger asked.

"I'm sorry," Kat said, "But, if you can get to him in time, there shouldn't be too much damage."

"What happens if the device stays on him for too long?" Sky asked.

"He could experience total memory loss. He wouldn't remember anything, not his job or even who he is."

"Or his son," Sky said, scared for Milo.

"Then, we need more options," Cruger ordered. "I'm going on patrol to find Broodwing. I'll have the scanner activated, just in case I pick up something. Contact Jack & the others and tell them the news."

"Yes, Commander," Kat responded.

"I'll get back down to the Infirmary and talk to Milo again. Hopefully, we can get an ID on the doctor's abductor," Sky said. Cruger nodded to him, as he headed for the door. Before leaving, he put an arm on Sky's shoulder.

"Try and find him, sir," Sky said, quietly.

"I will," Cruger said, as he exited.

Underground, in Cantorum's lair, Peter Damarcus remains locked in his chair, looking around in the darkness. Suddenly, he hears footsteps coming closer.

"Cantorum! Cantorum, is that you?" He asked. "You didn't answer me. You haven't done anything with my son, have you?"

A deep, throaty chuckle is heard echoing through the room. Peter jerks his head back and forth, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from.

"We can talk about this," Peter said.

"The only thing I want to talk about is iridium, Dr. Damarcus," Cantorum's voice was now clear, as he walked in front of the doctor. "And, you're going to tell me exactly what I want to know, whether you want to or not."

At that moment, Broodwing is seen walking up. He takes a position next to Cantorum, allowing Peter to see the device he's carrying under his arm.

"Who are you? What is that?" Peter asked.

"I am Broodwing, doctor," the monster said, as he raised the neural extractor up into the light. "This is the device that will give Emperor Gruumm all the answers that he seeks."

Sky jogged through the corridors of SPD, knowing he was running out of time. There was no way that he could allow Milo's father to perish on his watch. He felt obligated to spare him the pain he went through. He finally reached the Infirmary, walked in and found the place empty, except for Dr. Felix.

"Where's Milo?" Sky asked.

"Bridge took him. I believe they went to the Rec Room," Felix told him. Sky turned on his heels and ran out.

In the SPD Rec Room, Bridge & Milo are playing lightball with Boom, who is taken out of the game, just as the doors slide open and Sky runs in. Milo immediately freezes up and retreats behind Bridge.

"Sky, what's up?" Bridge said, noticing Sky's worried look. Sky took a deep breath.

"Trouble," Sky said.

"My dad?" Milo said, quietly, still hiding behind Bridge. Sky walks over, kneeling beside Bridge to face Milo.

"Milo, I'm so sorry if I scared you earlier," Sky said. "I didn't mean to do that. I was really upset about what happened to your father. You see, I went through a similar situation with my dad a long time ago, when I was about your age."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was really scared then. I think that my fear is back, but I didn't want to scare you," Sky explained.

"I'm really scared," Milo said. Bridge kneeled to face the kid.

"You don't have to be scared. You're safe here," Bridge reassured him.

"I'm scared for my dad," Milo said.

"I know you dad would want you to be brave, Milo. You are brave. You have shown so much courage just by being here, away from your father," Sky said, in a soothing tone. "I really hope you can help us."

"How?"

"Do you remember anything about the monster that took your father?" Sky asked.

"He was big and really scary. His voice was nasty," Milo said, trying to think. "It's hard. I can't really remember."

"Maybe this can help," Bridge said, as he went over to the wall, and did a handstand, which brought a smile to Milo's face.

"I can't do that," Milo said.

"Well, maybe another round of lightball would help?" Bridge said.

"The light!" Milo cried out, realizing something.

"What about the light, Milo?" Sky said.

"He didn't seem to like the light. He blasted the lamp at our house. Wait! I remember something else," Milo said. "Before that, he was going to blast me, but he stopped. Someone called him."

"Called him? Did they say his name?" Sky asked. "Think, Milo."

"Umm, it was something with a 'C', like Candelum. No. Canterno...Cantorum! Cantorum! That's what the voice called him," Milo said.

"Cantorum? Are you sure?" Sky asked.

"Yes," Milo said.

"We better get to the Command Center," Sky told Bridge. The two ran off towards the door, before Sky stopped. Bridge did as well.

"Hey, Milo. We're gonna bring your dad home. I promise," Sky said. Milo nodded.

"Boom, keep an eye on him," Bridge called out.

"You got it," Boom responded. The SPD Rangers ran off.

Seconds later, they arrived in the Command Center, where Kat was working at the main console.

"Kat," Sky called out, as they entered. "Did Commander Cruger find anything yet?"

"Not yet. He's still looking," she responded.

"Well, we've got a possible ID. Milo says the creature that took his father was named Cantorum," Sky said.

Kat punched a few buttons on the interface, which brought up a visual of the creature.

"He looks nasty enough," Bridge said.

"His file says he's been connected with several abductions before, but there's never been enough evidence for judgment. It also says he's extremely sensitive to light," Kat said.

"Sensitive to light! That's what Milo said," Bridge told her.

"This is our guy," Sky stated. "Where's Cruger?"

Kat pressed a few more buttons. "He's patrolling downtown."

"Patch me through to him, Kat," Sky said. "Commander, it's Sky. Milo identified the abductor as Cantorum. He's sensitive to light. I don't think your search is gonna turn up anything in mid-afternoon."

From aboard his ATV, the morphed Shadow Ranger spoke into his communications controls. "He must have taken the doctor underground...or into space."

"Let's hope for the former," Bridge said.

"Wait a minute," Shadow Ranger called out, as he looked at the brainwave scanner given to him by Kat. "I'm picking up something. It's heightened brainwave patterns."

"You must be close to something," Kat called out.

"You have my coordinates, Kat. Contact the other Rangers. This may be it," Shadow Ranger said, before signing off.

"Let's get down there," Bridge said.

"I'm calling Jack now. I'll have them meet you there," Kat said.

"Cantorum's going down," Sky said, before shouting, "SPD Emergency!"

In the basement of a skyscraper, Doctor Peter Damarcus is screaming in agony, as the neural extractor is attached to his head, directly connected to his brain. Behind his chair, Broodwing stands next to a control console, watching the readings raise higher and higher.

"Yes," Broodwing said. "We almost have everything we could possibly want to know about iridium. Gruumm will be pleased and my finder's fee will be larger than I could have expected."

"What about me?" Cantorum called out.

"You will get your payment, Cantorum," Broodwing said.

"And you won't like it!"

The two creatures turned to the doorway, where light was shining in and the form of Shadow Ranger could be seen standing.

"Cruger!" Broodwing called out.

"What?" Cantorum was confused.

"It's SPD. Do your job, Cantorum!" Broodwing called out.

Cantorum set his sights on Shadow Ranger and ran towards him, firing heavy blasts from his right arm weapon. Shadow Ranger deflects each of the blasts with his Shadow Saber. The third blast, however, he deflects back at Cantorum. It hits him while he's running, causing him to flip over backwards, just before reaching Cruger. The monster struggles to his feet and begins trading blows with Shadow Ranger. Each fighter tries to match his opponent, blow for blow.

Back at the console, Broodwing stares at the brainwave readings on Dr. Damarcus. They are steadily rising. He chuckles, as Peter continues to scream out in terrible pain.

"Almost there," Broodwing says.

"I don't think so!" the voice of the Red Ranger comes echoing through the basement. Broodwing looks up to see five glowing numbers. The five SPD Rangers come walking out of the shadows, decked out in SWAT mode.

"No! You won't ruin this," Broodwing yelled. "Krybots, attack!"

Moments later, the room was filled with the soldiers. The Rangers ran into the battle gladly. While the Yellow & Green Rangers blasted the passing Krybots with their Delta Enforcers, the Red Ranger goes flying over a group of them, taking his shots in mid-flight.

Cantorum fights Shadow Ranger into a corner, until he's nailed with a blast from behind. He staggers backwards. Shadow Ranger looks over to see the blast came from the Pink Ranger's Delta Enforcer.

"Good shot!" Shadow calls out, as he regains his balance.

"No problem, Commander," the Pink Ranger yelled back, as she set her sights back on the Krybots.

Broodwing looks back at the monitor, just as a Delta Enforcer blast comes streaking past him, barely missing him. He looks up, only to be met with a blazing punch from the fist of the Blue Ranger. Broodwing goes flying to the ground. Sky looks at the console and the device on Dr. Damarcus' head. He looks confused.

"Hold on, Doctor. I'll have you out of this in a moment," Sky said. He looked out at the battle raging around him until he spotted the person he was looking for. "Bridge, I need your help."

Kicking a Krybot away, the Green Ranger runs over.

"I'll cover you," Sky said, as he pulled his Delta Enforcer, firing on any approaching Krybot.

"This looks like a sophisticated system. I don't know if I can deactivate it," Green Ranger explained, as he pulled out his morpher. "But I know who can! Kat, I could really use your help."

Back in the Command Center, Kat is watching a holographic video of the area, seeing exactly what's happening on the battlefield. "It's okay, Bridge. I can talk you through the deactivation." She doesn't even notice when the doors slide open and Milo runs in, followed by an out-of-breath Boom. He kneels by the kid.

"Hey, I don't think we should be in here," Boom whispered. Milo paid him no attention, as his eyes focused on the battle playing out on the holographic video feed and the sound of his father screaming for his life.

Back underground, Blue Ranger took a look at Dr. Damarcus and the raising readings on the monitor.

"I don't think we have a lot of time left," he said. Just then, he's attacked from behind by Cantorum, pulling him off to a secluded area.

The Blue Ranger breaks free, finally coming face to face with Cantorum.

"You're going to pay for what you've done, Cantorum," Sky said, sternly.

"It doesn't matter now. Dr. Damarcus will be lost forever!" Cantorum cackled. In a fit of rage Sky started blasting his Delta Enforcer at the monster.

Cantorum, however, flips out of the way.

"You're not getting away, Cantorum," Sky said, as he searched the shadows for the monster.

Cantorum tries to attack from behind again, but this time the Blue Ranger's ready. His SWAT scanner senses the approach and he flips backwards over the monster, landing behind him and blasting him into a wall with a shot from his Delta Enforcer.

Back in the adjoining room, the Green Ranger is punching buttons on the device that sits on top of Dr. Damarcus' head, as he listens to Kat's directions, amidst the growing battle.

"Now, all you have to do is pull the white wire and it should sever the connection," Kat explained.

"The white wire," Bridge repeated. He scanned the device and finally found it. "Got it!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Broodwing was heard behind him. He whips the Green Ranger around and takes a swipe at his chest, causing sparks to fly.

"Ahh!" Bridge yells.

In the Command Center, Kat is watching, looking very worried. "Bridge, you're running out of time," she yelled. "You need to pull that wire, now!"

Milo walked closer to the holographic image playing, as his father continued his horrifying screams.

Bridge manages to get a boot up and kicks Broodwing a few feet away. He goes on the attack, but Bridge catches him with a side kick that sends him flying. He rips the white wire out of the neural extractor, as he picks up his Delta Enforcer and points it directly at Broodwing.

"You wanna try that again?" he asked the monster.

"We will meet again, Ranger!" Broodwing said, as he took off.

As the other Rangers continue to fight the Krybot army, Green Ranger lets out a grunt of anger at Broodwing's escape. He then looks around, noticing someone missing from the battle.

"Sky?" He said quietly.

Next door, Cantorum is barely able to get to his knees, as the Blue Ranger bears down on him with his Delta Enforcer.

"I said, you're not going anywhere, Cantorum. You're going to pay for what you did," Sky said, in a tone that displayed his intense anger in that moment.

i"I'm truly sorry," the man said as he handed Tate's helmet to his wife, amongst some other things. The tears flowed from the woman's eyes, as she sobbed. Sitting next to her, Young Sky took his father's helmet in his hands. Once again, the young boy heard his father's words replaying in his head, while the burned & broken helmet was still warm in his hands.

"I know how to handle the bad guys," Officer Tate's words repeated over and over in the child's head/i

Now, those words were taking over every other influence in Sky's body. His finger began to squeeze around the trigger, as an arm appeared on his shoulder.

"Sky! Sky, don't," Bridge called out.

"I can't let him go Bridge," Sky yelled.

"Sky, this is not the SPD way," Bridge said.

Just then, the other Rangers arrived on the scene, led by Shadow Ranger.

"Rangers!" he called out. "Has he been judged?"

Under his helmet, Sky took a deep breath and truly heard Cruger's voice.

"We were just about to do that, sir!" Sky called out, backing away from Cantorum, as Shadow Ranger took out his morpher.

"It's Judgment Time! Cantorum, you're accused of kidnapping and wanton destruction of private property," Shadow Ranger stated, loudly. The ticking of the judgment scanner was like a countdown for Sky, as his anger began to fade with each second, knowing the outcome.

"Guilty!"

Sky loads a containment card into his Delta Enforcer and fires upon Cantorum, resulting in a ball of fire. With the smoke dissipated, the Blue Ranger walks over and picks up the containment card, holding Cantorum inside. He takes a deep breath.

A week later, Sky is once again in his room, staring at the photograph of his father, as Bridge put on his gloves, preparing to leave, with a small brown box.

"I'm sorry," Sky said.

"What?" Bridge said. Sky turned to face his roommate.

"I'm sorry, Bridge, for everything. When I blew up at you with Milo and...and for calling your dad's gift childish," Sky explained.

"Sky, that was a week ago," Bridge said, with a smile. "All's forgotten."

"What about those last moments with Cantorum? Is that forgotten too, because I can't get it out of my head. I almost fired," Sky said.

"But, you didn't. You wouldn't have."

"I might have. I wanted to. I was so angry. If you hadn't shown up when you did..."

"Sky, it's okay. I accept you apology. Despite everything, I consider you my friend," Bridge said.

"Thanks," Sky said.

"Now, I have to get this package off. My dad's birthday is only a couple days away. Hey, I was thinking about grabbing the others for a game of lightball after. You interested or is that too childish for you?" Bridge said.

"Thanks, but I actually have an appointment to get to," Sky said.

About an hour later, Sky is seen throwing a small ball through the air at a local park, where RIC catches it and runs up to his feet, dropping it. Sky kneels down, picking it up, as RIC runs back across the park. Sky turns, still kneeling, as Milo is seen standing next to him.

"Your turn," Sky said, handing the ball to his young friend.

"Thanks, Sky," Milo said, as he threw the ball much shorter than Sky, but RIC still catches it.

"Great throw, Milo," Sky said, with a smile.

"My dad? He's gonna be okay?" Milo said, as they walked along a path in the park, with RIC not far behind.

"Yep. He's gonna be back to normal in no time," Sky explained.

"Good. It's kinda hard. I keep hearing his scream in my head," Milo told him.

"It's okay. It'll get better," Sky said.

"You really think so?" Milo asked.

"I know so," Sky said, patting the kid on the head, as they continued to walk. "You know, I'd really like to tell you about my dad sometime."

"Cool!"

"Very cool," Sky responded.

THE END


End file.
